Chelsea remain interested in signing West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Chelsea's midfield targets

The Blues have been targeting a new midfielder this month, with both Jorginho and N'Golo Kante's contracts expiring at the end of the season.

The midfield duo are now both over the age of 30, meaning that younger options are needed for Graham Potter, and the manager has recently been linked with moves for the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.

The Latest: Rice still targeted

While there may have been some concern that Chelsea's interest in a plethora of midfielders indicated that the Blues were no longer interested in Rice, Jones has now claimed that this is not the case.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “It’s an interesting one because Declan Rice does still remain a target at this stage. But he’s not available until the summer so Chelsea are trying to make sure they’ve got enough in the tank by the time they get to next season.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

CBS reporter Ben Jacobs claimed this week that the 23-year-old would be available for around £70m in the summer, and there is no doubt that Chelsea should pursue a deal for the West Ham skipper at that price, as he has consistently proven himself to be a top-level player.

ESPN's David Cartlidge has previously hailed the Englishman as a 'monster', a fitting description considering his performances for the Irons, as he is still excelling despite his team's very poor Premier League campaign up to this point.

His 6.90 WhoScored rating is the best of anyone at the London Stadium and would put him joint-fifth in Potter's squad at Stamford Bridge.

The former Chelsea youth player has displayed his talent in distributing the ball by completing 1,106 passes, the eighth-most of any player in the league, making him a fantastic fit for Potter's possession-based style of play.